Troy Vs. The Iliad
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Over the thousands of years that the epic story the Iliad has survived, there has no doubt been some form of alteration to Homers original. Last May, Wolfgang Petersen directed a movie based on the Iliad. This movie, Troy, has proven to be a very loose adaptation of Homers original, as are almost all stories that are made into movies, unfortunately. With its timeless storyline, amazing scenery, gorgeous actors/actresses and most of all, its reported two hundred million dollar budget, it is easy to see why Troy was hyped up to be a box office hit. However, the film critics were harsh on this movie, as they had every right to be, and it ended up being a total flop. Compared to Homers Iliad, Troy is rather disappointing. But, to be fair, one must keep in mind the limitations of a movie compared to those of a book, and the fact that the title is Troy, not the Iliad. It really is not as bad as expected. Troy is Homers Iliad gone to Hollywood. There probably are just as many similarities as differences from the original. The three major upsetting differences in Troy compared to the Iliad are the absence of the Gods, the weak character and plot development, and the addition, exclusion, and reversal of key points.
First and most disappointing, was the absence of the Gods in the movie Troy. Divine intervention was a major variable in Homers Iliad. The Gods affected every aspect of this poem. While the Gods were mentioned and the viewers were made well aware that the characters believe in the Gods, the only God that was physically seen was Thetis, Goddess of the Sea and Achilles mother. One memorable quote from the movie was in a conversation between Achilles and Briseis. Briseis states, “All the Gods are to be feared and respected” (Troy 2004). Achilles answers by saying:
Can I tell you a secret, something they dont teach you in your temple?
The Gods envy us. They envy us because were mortal, because any
moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because were
doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are right now. We will
never be here again (Troy 2004).
The suspected start of the war- over the abduction of Helen, Queen of Sparta- was caused entirely by a godly conflict over who was the most beautiful- Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, was selected to judge. He chose Aphrodite, who in turn gave him Helen, who was her equivalent in beauty amongst humans. In both versions, Paris is portrayed as a wife stealing, thief in the night. His brother Hector and he were on a peace mission in Sparta on behalf of Troy visiting the king, Menelaus, when Paris ran off with Menelaus wife, Helen. This action divides the Gods who constantly meddle with the mortals lives. Naturally, Aphrodite is on the Trojans side, as was her lover and God of War, Ares, and Apollo. Although Zeus, King of Gods, tried to be neutral, he was pro-Trojan. Hera, Queen of Gods, and Athena help the Greeks because they were mad that Paris chose Aphrodite. Poseidon, God of the Sea and Zeus brother, also sided with the Greeks whenever Zeus was not looking. An example of this constant intrusiveness of the Gods in the Iliad was when King “Menelaus hurls his spear, lightly wounding Paris. Paris helmet strap becomes caught at his chin and Menelaus has nearly dragged him away before Aphrodite intervenes, breaking the strap. She then wraps Paris in a mist, sets him in his own perfumed bedchamber, and hurries to catch Helen” (Bloom 13). Of course, in the movie version, when Paris becomes wounded he crawls to Hectors ankles. King Menelaus becomes angered and says Paris is not worthy of royalty nor his wife Helen. Hector is then forced to defend his little brother and kills Menelaus. The elimination of the Gods from Troy, although unsatisfactory, does simplify the movie compared to the complicated plot of the Iliad. Wolfgang Petersen may have had motivation to remove the Gods because it may have been difficult for most Americans to imagine the actions and motivations of the Gods since a Christian or modern God doesnt normally take such an involved position in a persons daily life. Therefore, this absence gave the movie a more humanized feel while taking some of the mystique out of this legend.
Next, the characters and the plot in Troy are weakly developed in comparison to the Iliad. The Iliad is completely the opposite. All of the characters and the plot are very descriptively illustrated for the reader. Nothing is left to the imagination. On the other hand, Troy leaves much to the imagination. The entire war is downplayed by being portrayed as having taken place in just a few short weeks. As for the characters, Achilles, although brave, just does not quite live up to his hero status. Hector is depicted as more of